Featured Artist: Victoria Kutukova

How would you describe your art - in one sentence, or a short phrase.
I don't stick to any certain style. Painting which I make is just a reaction to the world around us supplemented with a touch of everything that I have ever seen. This is how my pictorial language is formed.I am trying to replicate the incredibly beautiful picture that I have in my heads closely as possible. This has never happened yet.

Photo of you in your studio; or beside an art piece that you like.

One sentence to describe your studio / the place you work.
I surround myself with the most comfortable conditions. In my studio everything is very practical.

Photos of your 3 best artworks, the title and a short description.Hi to Botticelli:
Oil on canvas, 2015.Ever felt that someone else work leaves you a bit dizzy?
This work is a first piece in serie “Hi to Old Masters ”. In this serie Im doing my own works in Old Masters stile, exploring their technique and working method . I want to try Botticelli, Holbein , Vermeer , Sargent, Gauguin and others stiles.

Lilian:
Oil on canvas, 2015.Original oil painting which is the fourth work in the "botany" series.

Kotor:
Oil on canvas, 2012.Kotor was created as part of the exhibition entitled "The midday in Montenegro."

Most memorable art commission - what was the piece about, who commissioned the art, what was the experience like.
The most difficult and interesting to do picture which person connects with memories and dreams. And when I pull out pieces of memories and associations from his mind and put all them together in one full view - he starts to recognize something that he had never seen before. Sometimes this is like a magic, especially when this is a portrait.

How you work with your clients - a short description of how you develop concepts and ideas, and collaborate with your clients.
First I ask client to tell me everything about the result he wants to get.

Then I understand in what field it is and showing him all art piece samples which are close to result he described. Thereby I can see if we understand each other right. In this way we can find the most close analogue pictures that he see in his head. It is important for me to discover correct style and how the client imagine an ideal picture.

After that we discus size, proportions and all technical features. Next I can tell how much time it will take and what the price.

Next I start to do sketches and show them to the client to understand is everything

I do the layout which is identical to the final work, we check it and then I do original work.

After I finished I show the work to the client, we check everything is correct and if it is still possible I can make small amendments.

What/who inspires you?
I have been painting since childhood. I have always done it successfully. And I cannot imagine myself without painting. Painting is not just a hand work. This is the way to see. My eyes and brain have long been "incarcerated" on defining what and how to paint. It happens to me even if I just stand.

I like painting very VERY much. Andyear by year I like it stronger.It resembles a marriage. Sometimes I do not want to paint. And sometimes, when I visit the Metropolitan Museum and approach to Vermeer, Bruegel or Sargent, something incredible happens to me...

While walking through the halls, I know that I am going to see something that I have already seen a hundred times. I start to feel dizzy, my knees become wooden, and my breath is taken away. Once coming in I understand that nothing in the whole world is as important as that feeling. And I would give anything away just to keep the piece of the moment.